


with all its teeth bared

by lesfemmesdangereuses



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-21 00:17:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11346093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesfemmesdangereuses/pseuds/lesfemmesdangereuses
Summary: ”He’s old school,” Nicola had said earlier that morning, handing him the file. “Trust me, Rob, I’ve worked with this guy for ages. Nothing too flashy, just the standard package, don’t lay on the charm too thick,” and then she had taken a moment, and then added, “And maybe just- take your ring off.”(In which Robert faces a homophobic client head on, and then does some shopping.)





	with all its teeth bared

Robert’s not used to it. 

He was at Debenhams, and he was going to buy something for Aaron. He could picture Aaron’s face- running through every possible date of note they had together, but it’s not December, not February, not April, not Aaron’s birthday. Robert wasn’t sure how he was going to explain to Aaron that the reason he was listlessly wandering through a department store was because the head of the MNC had asked Robert about his wife. 

”He’s old school,” Nicola had said earlier that morning, handing him the file. “Trust me, Rob, I’ve worked with this guy for ages. Nothing too flashy, just the standard package, don’t lay on the charm too thick,” and then she had taken a moment, and then added, “And maybe just- take your ring off.”

Robert’s heart had dropped. “Oh c’mon,” she’d said off his look, “you know what these guys are like. Or say you’ve got a wife. Just don’t-” 

“I’m not lying about Aaron,” Robert responded levelly, loading his laptop into his briefcase. “If he’s got a problem, he can fuck off.” 

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Rob, this isn’t about Aaron it’s just about-” and Robert saw her searching for the words, “not making things- unpleasant, for no reason.” 

“No reason?” Robert countered, laughing hollowly. “Why don’t you try going a meeting without mentioning your useless husband or any of your billion children and then tell me-” 

“It’s not the same. You know it’s not the same.” 

“And you know what Aaron and I have been through, for this,” he said, because no, he and Aaron did not go through the last eight months of counselling, of Aaron nearly dying, of a horrible break up, of Robert waking up in a ditch off the side of the road because he hadn’t remembered driving so fast because he didn’t even care anymore, to coming back together, to just- pretending like it didn’t exist.

“I’m sorry,” Nicola said, and Robert backed off, because she was, really. Nicola and him had entered into a tentative friendship, even if Robert would never admit it, and he knew her well enough to read her by now. “Just- omissions, okay, put it in your pocket, for two hours, sign some documents, smile.” 

He hadn’t been able to, in the end. He hadn’t taken it off when they had broken up, had seen the funny looks given to him by Chas and the rest of the Dingles and the Whites and everyone else. He could imagine what they must have thought, (’sad, innit, what’s he hanging on for’) but it had felt like the only thing grounding Robert to reality, sometimes. He’d taken his ring off once, and had decided no matter what, no matter if Aaron wanted nothing to do with him for the rest of his life, he wouldn’t take it off again. When Aaron had finally put his back on, he’d held Robert’s hand and kissed it. 

And the man- Mr Hughes- had asked, in the end, and Robert did think of Nicola, of omissions, but then of Aaron, of Aaron handing him a cup of tea in the morning while kissing his cheek, of making excuses to go into the scrapyard to hug him, to smell the cologne that Aaron had begrudgingly put on because of an important scrap contact later that day. Of Aaron, the absolute wind up who he would spend the rest arguing with over doing the dishes and the laundry and everything he never thought he’d have, never thought he’d want to have. It was the thought that made him do this, time and time again, despite everything telling him not to. 

“My husband,” Robert said, with an easy smile. “We’ve been married for two years.” 

“Nicola didn’t-” the man looked at him with disgust. “This is ridiculous,” he began to stand up, collecting his papers from the table where they’d been sitting in a fancy hotel room bar. He had insisted on paying, which Robert remembered with a smirk. 

“Yeah, well, figured you might say that,” Robert said, joining him in standing up. “Too bad you already signed. And I’d have a closer look at that paperwork,” he added, “No, really- there’s no sort of get-out-of-it-because-of-homophobia card. Trust me,” he threw his briefcase over his shoulder with a bit of flourish that Aaron would have definitely rolled his eyes at, “I double checked.” 

“I’ll be doing my business with Nicola, from now on,” Mr Hughes finally spat. 

“Oh, by all means,” Robert pulled out the cheque from his pocket. “Thank you very much, for financing my next holiday with my husband. He’s been under a lot of stress recently.” 

–

“You shopping for anyone in particular?” the saleswoman asked, sidling up to Robert and greeting him with a bright, friendly smile.

“Yeah,” Robert met her smile with one of his own. “My husband.”


End file.
